Latécoère 521
| Laté 521 "Lieutenant de Vaisseau Paris" |
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| Role | Civil flying boat |
| Manufacturer | Pierre-Georges Latécoère |
| First flight | 10 January 1935 |
| Primary user | Air France |
| Number built | 1 |
The Latécoère 521, "Lieutenant de Vaisseau Paris", was a French six-engined flying boat, and one of the first large trans-Atlantic passenger aircraft. The four inboard engines were mounted as tandem push-pull pairs.
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[edit] Operational history
The inaugural flight took place on 10 January 1935, followed by a demonstration flight in December 1935 via Dakar, North Africa to Natal, Brazil, then north to the French West Indies. The inaugural flight was to mark the 300th year of French rule in the Americas. Having reached Pensacola, Florida, it was caught in a hurricane and wrecked.[1] The aircraft was returned to France by ship to be rebuilt, before going into service with Air France on the trans-Atlantic route. In June 1937, it flew non-stop to Natal before returning to France via the North Atlantic. Then, equipped with more powerful engines, the aircraft made four further return flights to New York, between May and July 1939.
During one of these, pilot Henri Guillaumet flew the Latécoère 521 from New York City to Biscarrosse, flying 5,875 km (3,651 mi) at an average speed of 206 km/h (127 mph), including 2,300 km (1,400 mi) with one engine out.
The aircraft could transport 72 passengers in a great comfort. On the lower level there was a salon with 20 armchairs and tables, six deluxe double cabins, each with its own bathroom, seating for a further 22 passengers, a kitchen, a bar and a baggage hold. The upper level had seating for 18 passengers, a storage compartment and an office for the three flight engineers.
On the outbreak of World War II the Laté 521 was attached to the French Navy E.6 flotilla, based in Port-Lyautey, Morocco, and was used to patrol the North Atlantic. After the armistice in June 1940 it flew to Berre, near Marseilles, where it was finally wrecked by the retreating Germans in August 1944. The Laté 521 was the basis of the single Laté 522 "Ville de Saint Pierre" civil airliner, and the three Laté 523 navalized variants.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Specifications (Laté 521)
Data from Latécoère[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 5 + cabin crew
- Capacity: 30-72
- Length: 31.62 m (103 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 49.3 m (161 ft 9 in)
- Height: 9.07 m (29 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 330 m2 (3,600 sq ft) + 53m² (570.5ft²) for the sponsons / lower wings
- Empty weight: 18,882 kg (41,628 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 40,000 kg (88,185 lb)
- Powerplant: 6 × Hispano-Suiza 12Ydrs V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 641.3 kW (860.0 hp) each (final engine fit)
- Powerplant: 6 × Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 570 kW (760 hp) each (interim engine fit)
- Powerplant: 6 × Hispano-Suiza 12N V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 484.7 kW (650.0 hp) each (original engine fit)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 261 km/h (162 mph; 141 kn) at 2,000m (6,562ft)
- Cruising speed: 210 km/h (130 mph; 110 kn)
- Minimum control speed: 100 km/h (62 mph; 54 kn)
- Range: 4,100 km (2,548 mi; 2,214 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 6,300 m (20,669 ft)
- Rate of climb: 3.7 m/s (730 ft/min)
- Time to altitude: 2,000m in 9min
[edit] See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Related lists
[edit] References
- ^ "Six Motors Drive Big Sea Plane Over Ocean" Popular Mechanics, April 1936
- ^ Cuny, Jean (1992) (in French). Latécoère. Paris: Éditions Larivière. ISBN 2 90 70 51 01 6.
[edit] External links
- Virtual Aircraft Museum
- Latécoère 521 film
- "Seaplane's Hull Resembles Ship" Popular Science, February 1935
- Popular Mechanics, December 1935 article on Air France with page on the 521
- "Around the World in 10 Days" Popular Mechanics, April 1935, cutaway drawings pp.568-569
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